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''Spazzacamini'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
for
chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys ...
) was the term for child laborers in 19th- and early 20th-century
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and Switzerland, where they were also known as ''Kaminfegerkinder'' in German-speaking areas.


History and origin

Most of the boys, usually 8 to 12 years old, were from the
canton of Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
, coveted by their ''padroni''
chimney sweeper A chimney sweep is a person who clears soot and creosote from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimney ...
s because they were small and slim and therefore able to climb the narrow chimneys and to clean them. When the boys had reached the top of the chimneys, they had to shout "''Spazzacamini!''" to prove that they actually had climbed up the dark, stuffy fireplaces. The working conditions were catastrophic. For lunch, the children often had nothing to eat and had to go begging for bread, and they had often to sleep in stables. The boys were hired in the winter, so at the family tables in the badly developed valleys of Ticino one mouth less had to be fed. At that time, bitter poverty and hunger was widely spread in Ticino during the winter months. Many children came from the
Valle Verzasca The Valle Verzasca is a valley in the Locarno district of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione, Gerra, Frasco, and Sonogno. As of 2004, the total populatio ...
, the Cento Valli and also from the Italian
Val Vigezzo Valle Vigezzo (Vigezzo Valley) is a valley in the Lepontine Alps in northwestern Italy on the border with Canton Ticino of Switzerland. It forms the eastern branch of the Ossola valley. It is also called the Valle dei Pittori (Valley of the Pain ...
valleys, and frequently worked in northern Italy.


In culture

Every autumn in Vigezzo chimney sweeps from all over the world meet in memory of the chimney sweep child slaves. The children's book '' Die schwarzen Brüder'' (the black brothers) was first published in two volumes in 1940–41. The story of Giorgio, a little boy from
Sonogno Sonogno is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is located in Valle Verzasca. On 17 October 2020 the former municipalities of Vogorno, Sonogno, Corippo, Brione (Verzasca) and Frasco merge ...
in the Verzasca Valley who had been used as ''Kaminfegerjunge'', is based on facts. Lisa Tetzner had read in ancient chronicles about the fate of such small boys from the Verzasca Valley and other valleys of the Ticino. The book is very popular and, amongst others, a film, a television serial, a musical and a radio play have been based on the novel, as well as naming a hiking route starting in Sonogno in the Verzasca Valley.


Literature

* Elisabeth Wenger: Als lebender Besen im Kamin: Einer vergessenen Vergangenheit auf der Spur. Books on demand, 2010. * Lisa Tetzner and Kurt Kläber: ''Die Schwarzen Brüder. Erlebnisse und Abenteuer eines kleinen Tessiners''. First published in 1940–41, Sauerländer, Aarau/Mannheim 2010, . * Lisa Tetzner and Hannes Binder (illustrations): ''Die Schwarzen Brüder – Roman in Bildern''. Patmos Verlagshaus, Düsseldorf 2002, .


See also

*
Child labour in Switzerland Child labour in Switzerland was a fact in rural areas to the 1960s, at least tolerated by the Swiss authorities referring to the so-called '' Verdingkinder'', as up to 100,000 children were needed as cheap workers mostly on farms the decades before. ...
* Die schwarzen Brüder * Kinder der Landstrasse * Verdingkinder *
Wiedergutmachungsinitiative The Swiss children coercion reparation initiative (German: ''Wiedergutmachungsinitiative'') was a Swiss federal popular initiative to change the federal constitution, which was launched in April 2014. Summary In April 2014, the collection of S ...


References


External links

*
Museo dello Spazzacamino in Vigezzo
{{italic title Society of Switzerland Child labour in Switzerland Youth in Switzerland Slavery in Europe 19th century in Switzerland Chimney sweeps